Biofuels For Transport Research Articles

Enabling modern bioenergy deployment in Nigeria to support industry and local communities

Nigeria intends to rank among the top 20 global economies by 2030 by focusing on industrialisation. However, limiting energy access may slow the rate of industrialisation. Bioenergy integration into Nigeria's energy mix can accelerate the industrialisation agenda due to the co-benefits it offers. We used a disaggregated approach to map agri-residue availability and identify knowledge gaps in agri-residue application to support modern and sustainable bioenergy integration into Nigeria's energy mix. Expert interviews with stakeholders from government departments, small- and large-scale industries, and feedstock producers were used to validate the biomass mapping. The output of the biomass mapping shows that residues from yam, sorghum, wheat, palm, cassava, rice, sugarcane, etc, have knowledge gaps in agri-residue application and they could support the industrialisation agenda of Nigeria. The output of the stakeholder engagement shows that fossil fuels are the main energy source for productive uses in Nigeria. Current waste management practices involve onsite burning and disposal on land. Bioenergy technologies currently deployed in Nigeria are predominantly anaerobic digestion and combustion. Stakeholders have a strong preference for electricity to be the predominant energy vector. However, awareness of modern bioenergy applications and technologies was limited even though Nigeria's Energy Masterplan supports the efficient use of biomass to generate clean heat, electricity and biofuel for industrial, transport and household applications. Based on these findings, we have developed a suite of novel bioenergy case studies to support biomass integration into Nigeria's energy system.

Specific features of production and use of transportation biofuels in selected developing countries (part II)

Aim. To identify specific features of production and use of transportation biofuels in selected developing countries, as well as to assess the potential of bioethanol industry development in the Russian Federation (RF).Objectives. To assess the economic efficiency of bioethanol production in Russia; to reveal the potential of applying foreign experience in the development of bioethanol industry in our country.Methods. In the process of the research the methods of system analysis, comparative analysis, method of expert evaluations, mathematical, statistical methods were applied.Results. The actual estimation of economic efficiency of bioethanol production in Russia was obtained. The cost of a unit of bioethanol, which is equivalent to a liter of gasoline in terms of energy content, is 5-36% higher than the cost of a liter of gasoline (depending on the production technology). At the same time, state support for the production and use of bioethanol in our country is reasonable. This will allow to create additional demand for grain crops and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from motor transport. The production and use of bioethanol will form an additional supply in the gasoline market, will give an opportunity to support projects on deep processing of grain and wood chemistry.Conclusions. The experience of Brazil, China and Indonesia in the development of bioethanol industry is relevant for Russia. At the same time, in order to minimize possible risks in the field of food security at the initial stage of bioethanol industry development, low-quality grain stocks should be used as feedstock and the production of second-generation bioethanol should be stimulated.

Applications of Machine Learning Technologies for Feedstock Yield Estimation of Ethanol Production

Biofuel has received worldwide attention as one of the most promising renewable energy sources. Particularly, in many countries such as the U.S. and Brazil, first-generation ethanol from corn and sugar cane has been used as automobile fuel after blending with gasoline. Nevertheless, in order to continuously increase the use of biofuels, efforts are needed to reduce the cost of biofuel production and increase its profitability. This can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of a sequential biofuel production process consisting of multiple operations such as feedstock supply, pretreatment, fermentation, distillation, and biofuel transportation. This study aims at investigating methodologies for predicting feedstock yields, which is the earliest step for stable and sustainable biofuel production. Particularly, this study reviews feedstock yield estimation approaches using machine learning technologies that focus on gradually improving estimation accuracy by using big data and computer algorithms from traditional statistical approaches. Given that it is becoming increasingly difficult to stably produce biofuel feedstocks as climate change worsens, research on developing predictive modeling for raw material supply using the latest ML techniques is very important. As a result, this study will help researchers and engineers predict feedstock yields using various machine learning techniques, and contribute to efficient and stable biofuel production and supply chain design based on accurate predictions of feedstocks.

Valorization of Waste Biomass to Biofuels for Power Production and Transportation in Optimized Way: A Comprehensive Review

Valorization of Waste Biomass to Biofuels for Power Production and Transportation in Optimized Way: A Comprehensive Review

Socio-economic implications of forest-based biofuels for marine transportation in the Arctic: Sweden as a case study

Socio-economic implications of forest-based biofuels for marine transportation in the Arctic: Sweden as a case study

CUTTING-EDGE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Researchers focus on finding Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and green energy for a sustainable future owing to ecological sustainability standards, growing power demands, depletion of traditional energy resources, and ecological damage caused by global warming and climate change. Bioenergy is a very viable option as it may be used for various energy needs via appropriate conversion methods. This analysis focuses on the promise and problems of producing biofuels using different feedstocks and advancements in process technology. The use of biofuels, such as biodiesel, ethanol, bio-oil, syngas, Fischer-Tropsch Hydrogen, and methane (CH4), generated from agricultural crop left-overs, micro- and macroalgae, and other biological waste via thermo-bio-chemical procedures, has been determined to be an environmentally beneficial option for energy production. Developing and implementing biofuels in industry and transportation significantly reduces reliance on petroleum and coal. The literature study indicated that biofuels derived from crops and microalgae have the potential to be the most effective and appealing method. The area of biofuels has made significant advancements via genetic engineering, which has opened up new possibilities for large-scale production for commercial use. However, the process of producing biofuels on a big scale remains difficult. Therefore, it is crucial to address this issue by converting biomass into biofuels using innovative technology to meet present and future energy demands.

CUTTING-EDGE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Researchers focus on finding Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and green energy for a sustainable future owing to ecological sustainability standards, growing power demands, depletion of traditional energy resources, and ecological damage caused by global warming and climate change. Bioenergy is a very viable option as it may be used for various energy needs via appropriate conversion methods. This analysis focuses on the promise and problems of producing biofuels using different feedstocks and advancements in process technology. The use of biofuels, such as biodiesel, ethanol, bio-oil, syngas, Fischer-Tropsch Hydrogen, and methane (CH4), generated from agricultural crop left-overs, micro- and macroalgae, and other biological waste via thermo-bio-chemical procedures, has been determined to be an environmentally beneficial option for energy production. Developing and implementing biofuels in industry and transportation significantly reduces reliance on petroleum and coal. The literature study indicated that biofuels derived from crops and microalgae have the potential to be the most effective and appealing method. The area of biofuels has made significant advancements via genetic engineering, which has opened up new possibilities for large-scale production for commercial use. However, the process of producing biofuels on a big scale remains difficult. Therefore, it is crucial to address this issue by converting biomass into biofuels using innovative technology to meet present and future energy demands.

Estimation of energy demand and carbon emissions for the road transport sector: A case study of Douala, Cameroon

Road transport is one of the main causes of air pollution around the world. Nowadays, the notion of sustainable development is one of the major pillars for a healthy environment. However, faced with its major challenges, it is more than necessary and important to understand a set of elements which contribute to better understanding the level of planning for sustainable road transport. This study aims to estimate energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, namely from road CO2 transport, for the city of Douala in Cameroon from 2010 to 2035. In order to achieve our objective, we used the Long range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model. Based on the LEAP model, the estimates were evaluated based on three scenarios Business As Usual (BAU), Energy Optimization and Mitigation (EOM) and Sustainability Mobility (SM). The aim of this work was to identify suitable potential policies with a view to reducing energy consumption and emissions carbon dioxide (CO2) for road transport in Douala. The results tell us that the EOM and SM scenarios have advantages over the BAU scenario with the SM scenario being more optimistic than the other two scenarios. In addition, the SM scenario has a growth rate of 87.408 % in energy demand smaller than the other two scenarios BAU and EOM respectively 151.598 % and 132.073 %. We also note that the SM scenario contributed to a reduction of 60.661 kilo ton emissions of CO2 less than the BAU scenario. At present, with a view to reducing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions, road vehicles in circulation in the city of Douala should emphasize structural optimization measures through the use of clean energy by promoting the use of biofuels in mass transport, eliminating old cars and finally considering improving energy efficiency through the implementation of technological development in the automobile sector. Policy makers must take this study into consideration in order to better integrate the notion of energy sustainable road transport.

Climate change substitution factors for Canadian forest-based products and bioenergy

Evaluating the climate change mitigation potential of the forest sector requires a holistic approach based on forest carbon (C) sequestration, C storage in harvested wood products (HWP) and substitution on markets. High uncertainty is associated with substitution factors, that express avoided fossil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the use of forest-based products in replacement of GHG-intensive materials and fossil fuels. Few studies have focused on the development of substitution factors in Canada, resulting in the use of unrepresentative generic data. Here, we provide a framework to reduce uncertainties related to substitution factors for primary wood products in a Canadian context. A life cycle assessment framework is used to quantify fossil GHG emissions for a baseline and a wood-intensive scenario. For solid product substitution, we focused on the construction sector and analyzed a range of innovative wood buildings with steel and reinforced concrete as alternative materials. We found non-weighted averages of 0.80 tC/tC for sawnwood and 0.81 tC/tC for panels. For energy substitution, we analyzed cases with different specifications on biomass product, facility type and alternative fossil fuel source in non-residential heat production and biofuel transportation sectors. We found a non-weighted average of 0.80 tC/tC for non-residential heat production and 0.51 tC/tC for biofuel transportation, that can be interpreted as 0.91 tC/tC for heavy fuel oil, 0.69 tC/tC for light fuel oil and 0.68 tC/tC for natural gas substitution. These results provide a benchmark for substitution factors in Canada, to help guide forest management strategies for climate change mitigation.

Pipeline sharing: Boosting multi-product pipeline transport biofuels in the shift to low-carbon energy

Under the dual pressures of oil depletion and low carbon transition, biofuels are considered effective alternatives for fuel oil due to their renewable nature and environmental friendliness. However, oil demand remains high, which indicates that biofuels and fuel oil will coexist for a long time to come. While pipelines offer an efficient means of transporting liquid fuels, the initial investment required is substantial. Therefore, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework that focuses on sharing already existing multi-product pipelines with biofuels, thus evaluating the pipeline remaining potential to transport biofuels. The core component of this framework is the evaluation method for determining the multi-product pipeline remaining capacity. We coupled fuel oil consignment contracts into the remaining capacity evaluation method and developed a model for evaluating the multi-product pipeline transport biofuels potential, aiming to maximize biofuels pipeline transport volume. The objective of this model is to optimize the transportation volume of biofuels through pipelines. Various constraints are taken into account, such as product batch movement, prohibited sequences, operational constraints, delivery time frames, and inventory levels. Moreover, this study evaluates and discusses the benefits of biofuels transportation capacity using eight real-world multi-product pipeline systems without impacting fuel oil consignment contracts. The findings indicate that pipelines are capable of transporting 49,849 m3 of biofuels per week, increasing revenue by 1.78 million CNY. Simultaneously, the low energy consumption for pipeline transportation can lead to a weekly reduction of 34.6 tons in carbon emissions. The evaluation model anticipatively provides the ability to respond to future market developments.

Life cycle assessment of novel thermochemical – biochemical biomass-to-liquid pathways for sustainable aviation and maritime fuel production

This paper aims to carry out an integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental performance of a novel thermochemical-biochemical biomass-to-liquid pathway for sustainable aviation and maritime biofuel production. Five scenarios are defined, consideringdifferent types of biomass feedstock and biorefinery locations, in different geographically dispersed European countries. The results indicate that the replacement of conventional aviation and maritime fuels with sustainable biofuels could reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHG) by 60–86%, based on feedstock type. When the renewable share in the electricity mix reaches 100% (in 2050), the GHG emissions will experience a great decrease (26% − 68%), compared to 2022 levels. The non-renewable energy consumption will also decrease (by 56% − 83%), with results strongly affected by the electricity mix of the European country considered. This study demonstrates that the deployment of biomass-to-jet/marine fuel pathways could favor the industrial adoption of circular economy strategies for transport biofuels production.

Electrification of Biorefinery Concepts for Improved Productivity—Yield, Economic and GHG Performances

Demand for biofuels will likely increase, driven by intensifying obligations to decarbonize aviation and maritime sectors. Sustainable biomass is a finite resource, and the forest harvesting level is a topic of ongoing discussions, in relation to biodiversity preservation and the short-term role of forests as carbon sinks. State-of-the-art technologies for converting lignocellulosic feedstock into transportation biofuels achieves a carbon utilization rate ranging from 25% to 50%. Mature technologies like second-generation ethanol and gasification-based processes tend to fall toward the lower end of this spectrum. This study explores how electrification can enhance the carbon efficiency of biorefinery concepts and investigates its impact on energy, economics and greenhouse gas emissions. Results show that electrification increases carbon efficiency from 28% to 123% for gasification processes, from 28% to 45% for second-generation ethanol, and from 50% to 65% for direct liquefaction processes. Biofuels are produced to a cost range 60–140 EUR/MWh-biofuel, depending on the chosen technology pathway, feedstock and electricity prices. Notably, production in electrified biorefineries proves cost-competitive when compared to pure electrofuel (E-fuels) tracks. Depending on the selected technology pathway and the extent of electrification, a reduction in GHG emissions ranging from 75% to 98% is achievable, particularly when powered by a low-carbon electricity mix.

Economic and environmental viability of biofuel production from organic wastes: A pathway towards competitive carbon neutrality

Production of renewable C1 transport biofuels (such as biomethane and biomethanol) through the integration of anaerobic digestion (AD) with carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technologies may offer a solution to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presented a detailed techno-economic and environmental assessment of four cases for biomethane or biomethanol production by incorporating AD, CO2 utilization via biomethanation (CU), solid digestate pyrolysis (Py) and methanol synthesis (MeOH). The results reflected the current state of technologies and potential future scenarios within a mature market. Under optimistic scenarios (scaled-up systems and reduced hydrogen price of 1 €/kg), the minimum potential GHG abatement cost for the AD-Py-CU case was −111.1 €/t CO2-eq when biomethane was sold at 1.03 €/Nm3 (a contract gas price in 2022), while the abatement cost rose to −58.2 €/t CO2-eq when H2 was purchased at 3.40 €/kg. When methanol was sold at 425 €/t (global weighted average value), the marginal abatement cost for the AD-Py-CU-MeOH (with H2 at 1.0 €/kg) case was 136.5 €/t CO2-eq, which is higher than current carbon credits at 33.5 €/t CO2. This study suggests that biomethane produced by incorporating AD, CO2 biomethanation and pyrolysis technologies may be economically and environmentally competitive over natural gas.

Biofuels for transportation

Biofuels for transportation is an essential factor of significant measures to increase fuel security, combat climate change, and promote rural development. The rising amount of greenhouse pollution brought on by the use of fossil fuels is now widely recognized. The energy crisis results from the growing disparity between the energy needs of the industrialized world and the finite amount of energy from fossil fuels. Among energy consumers, the transportation sector is frequently cited as one of the primary pollutant sources. For instance, the second-most polluting industry in the USA in 2014 was the transportation sector. Transportation ranked fourth in pollution-producing industries in 2014, contributing 14% of all pollutants worldwide. Due to the rise in emissions of CO2, which caused global warming, the significant impact of large vehicles on polluted air as well as other gases or airborne contaminants has become a significant issue. Acid rain and climate change are both projected to be significantly reduced by reducing the quantity of pollution produced by the transportation industry. Fossil fuels now provide approximately 98% of the energy used in the transport industry. In this regard, it has been suggested that one way to combat the enormous environmental impact of using fossil fuels is to consume and use environmentally friendly alternative fuels like biofuels, fuel cells, and solar power. Researchers and decision-makers are interested in biofuel as one of the possible gasoline substitutes that can lower the level of pollution emissions.

Climate change mitigation potentials of on grid-connected Power-to-X fuels and advanced biofuels for the European maritime transport

This study proposes a country-based life-cycle assessment (LCA) of several conversion pathways related to both on grid-connected Power-to-X (PtX) fuels and advanced biofuel production for maritime transport in Europe. We estimate the biomass resource availability (both agricultural and forest residues and second-generation energy crops from abandoned cropland), electricity mix, and a future-oriented prospective LCA to assess how future climate change mitigation policies influence the results. Our results indicate that the potential of PtX fuels to achieve well-to-wake greenhouse gas intensities lower than those of fossil fuels is limited to countries with a carbon intensity of the electricity mix below 100 gCO2eq kWh−1. The more ambitious FuelEU Maritime goal could be achieved with PtX only if connected to electricity sources below ca. 17 gCO2eq kWh−1 which can become possible for most of the national electricity mixes in Europe by 2050 if renewable energy sources will become deployed at large scales. For drop-in and hydrogen-based biofuels, biomass residues have a higher potential to reduce emissions than dedicated energy crops. In Europe, the potentials of energy supply from all renewable and low-carbon fuels (RLFs) range from 32 to 149% of the current annual fuel consumption in European maritime transport. The full deployment of RLFs with carbon capture and storage technologies could mitigate up to 184% of the current well-to-wake shipping emissions in Europe. Overall, our study highlights how the strategic use of both hydrogen-based biofuels and PtX fuels can contribute to the climate mitigation targets for present and future scenarios of European maritime transport.

ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTIVE DIRECTIONS FOR USING UKRAINE’S BIOMASS POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY

The purpose of the work is a comprehensive assessment of Ukraine’s bioenergy potential. The task of the work is to develop recommendations for the practical implementation of promising directions for the potential utilisation. The research methods include calculations, study and analysis of literature, statistics and other data. The availability of considerable biomass potential for the production of various types of biofuel and energy is one of the main prerequisites for the successful development of bioenergy in Ukraine. Results of the assessment based on 2021 data show that the potential of biomass for energy in the country amounts to nearly 26 Mtoe/year. A comprehensive assessment of the potential was carried out for such components as solid biomass, biofuelі and biogas. Sources of solid biomass are various agricultural residues, various types of wood biomass and energy crops (provided they are grown on unused agricultural land). Solid biomass in the amount of more than 16 Mtoe/year is the largest component of the country's biomass energy potential accounting for 62% of the total. Expert assessments indicate the possibility of increasing this potential to about 44 Mtoe/year in the period until 2050. A scenario for the long-term use of the biomass potential for energy and biofuel production has been developed taking into account sustainability issues. To implement this scenario, it is necessary to overcome a number of barriers existing in the bioenergy sector, primarily the main ones. It also seems necessary to temporarily liberalize for Ukraine the strict sustainability criteria established by the EU RED II. This mitigation should include postponing the requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (65% for biofuels and biogas for transport produced in installations that started operation from 01.01.2021); establishing a special limit for Ukraine until 2030 on the use of energy from first-generation biofuels in transport (up to 7%); expanding for Ukraine the list of feedstock for the production of advanced biofuels, including regulation of possibility to obtain raw material for biofuel production on polluted, unused, low-productivity and degraded lands.

From enzyme to cell-factory: Economic and environmental assessment of biobased pathways to unlock the potential of long-haul transportation biofuels

The transportation sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on fossil fuels. Biofuels offer a low-carbon alternative, particularly for long-haul transportation. Although few biosynthetic pathways reached technological maturity with commercial plants, recent literature shows a variety of laboratory-scale progresses targeting these biofuels. Early-stage sustainability assessments can help identify opportunities for metabolic engineering and process improvements toward more sustainable routes. This study evaluated the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of producing drop-in biofuels from sugarcane and soybean oil, considering fermentative and enzymatic processes. The results showed that sugarcane-based scenarios presented a better prospect and that integrating steps within microorganisms’ metabolism in a cell factory concept had advantages over the cell-free enzymatic process. Biobased pathways, however, still require improvements to be competitive with catalytic-based alternatives. Recommendations were made to guide microorganism engineering, focusing on factors that restrain economic and environmental feasibility (e.g., inputs use). As a result, the improved biobased process could provide a hydrocarbon-based fuel with a minimum selling price (US$ 21.2 GJ−1) compatible with market prices and carbon intensity (25.1 gCO2eq MJ−1) similar to that from sugarcane ethanol, representing over 70 % reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil fuels.

Sustainable Long-Term Energy Supply and Demand: The Gradual Transition to a New and Renewable Energy System in Indonesia by 2050

The objective of this work is to evaluate long-term energy demand and supply decarbonization in Indonesia. On the demand side, electric vehicles and biofuels for transportation and induction stoves and urban gas networks for households were considered. Based on the National Energy Policy, primary energy supply projections optimized NRE power plant use and increase NRE's position in the national energy mix. A Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model evaluates 2020–2050 energy demand predictions and low-carbon energy systems. This study's sustainable transition options require two basic technical advances. First, electric vehicles and induction stoves would reduce oil fuel usage by 228.34 million BOE and LPG consumption by 24.65 million BOE. Second, power generation should be decarbonized using NRE sources such as solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, and nuclear. In 2050, solar power (40 GW), hydropower (38.47 GW), geothermal power (10 GW), and other NRE (24.45 GW, 18.67 GW of which would be biomass power) would dominate NRE electrical capacity. Biomass co-firing for coal power plants would reach 36.35 million tons in 2050. In 2035, the Java-Bali or West Kalimantan system will deploy 1 GW of nuclear power reactors, rising to 4 GW by 2050. Under the Transition Energy (TE) scenario, by 2025 and 2050, new and renewable energy would make up 23% and 31% of the primary energy mix, respectively, reducing GHG emissions per capita. According to predictions, annual GHG emissions per capita will decline from the BAU scenario's 4.48 tonne CO2eq/capita in 2050 to the TE scenario's 4.1 tonne.

Comparison of co-refining of fast pyrolysis oil from Salix via catalytic cracking and hydroprocessing

Lignocellulosic biomass from energy crops, i.e., short rotation coppice willows such as Salix spp., can be used as feedstock for production of transportation biofuels. Biomass conversion via fast pyrolysis followed by co-refining with fossil oil in existing refinery infrastructure could enable a fast introduction of large-scale production of biofuels. In this study, Salix was first liquefied using ablative fast pyrolysis in a pilot scale unit. The resulting pyrolysis oil, rich in oxygenates, was thereafter co-refined in 20 wt% ratio with fossil feedstock using two separate technologies, a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) laboratory unit and a continuous slurry hydroprocessing pilot plant.In the FCC route, the pyrolysis oil was cracked at 798 K using a commercial FCC catalyst at atmospheric pressure, while in the hydroprocessing route, the oil was processed at 693 K and a hydrogen pressure of 15 MPa in the presence of an unsupported molybdenum sulfide catalyst. Both routes resulted in significant deoxygenation (97 wt% versus 93 wt%). It is feasible to co-refine pyrolysis oil using both methods, the main difference being that the hydroprocessing results in a significantly higher biogenic carbon yield from the pyrolysis oil to liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products (92 wt%) but would in turn require input of H2. In the cracking route, besides the liquid product, a significant part of the biogenic carbon ends up as gas and as coke on the catalyst. The choice of route depends, among other factors, on the available amount of bio-oil and refining infrastructures.

Pipeline sharing: Potential capacity analysis of biofuel transportation through existing pipelines

In response to resource depletion and tightening carbon emissions policies, the product oil is gradually being substituted by biofuels and faced with falling demand. A large number of studies have been done on the optimization of the biofuel supply chain, but few of them have considered the existing petroleum pipelines for policy reasons. Market-based reforms in the oil and gas industry have provided the possibility of pipeline sharing, whereby pipeline owners can use the remaining delivery capacity to transport other liquid fuels that are allowed into the pipeline, such as biofuels, thereby increasing pipeline benefits and reducing biofuel logistics costs. This paper develops a logistics optimization model considering multi-product pipeline scheduling from the perspective of biofuel suppliers and proposes a pipe-rail transportation mode to assess the optimization potential of logistics costs. Finally, this paper verifies the feasibility of the proposed approach using a logistics system in a region of China as a practical case study and conducts a sensitivity analysis on whether changes in the demand for product oil and biofuels affect the choice of pipeline opening location, concluding that there is no effect within a 4-fold increase in biofuel production and a 0.78-fold decrease in product oil demand.